Confirming what many outlets assigned to him, the UK rapper himself told Apple Music he “prolonged his come-up,” comfortably remaining a “newcomer” for an extra beat before taking this studio debut step. In some ways that’s been a boon; viral moments post-“Doja” like his “Sprinter” with Dave, “BAND4BAND” with Lil Baby and “Did It First” with Ice Spice (the latter boosted by a microwave Shade Room-style social media frenzy) kept his likeness in the zeitgeist without the earnest commitment of a full-length album. Contrarily, it sets the expectations for Can’t Rush Greatness even higher, something Central Cee nods at knowingly with the title of the record.
The Extended Lead-Up Causes A Few Complications
Central Cee has become a face of the UK grime movement so dinging him for leaning heavily into that sound feels like folly, but Can’t Rush Greatness could have benefited greatly from a bit more of a production change-up. The skittering hi-hats and 808 bends are part of what propelled him to this point, yet with their heavy application here, the lines between pieces can begin to blur. That’s only further complicated by the similar flows that the near-identical production provides, and when paired with Cench’s propensity to delve into 30+ verses that border on freestyles, his debut album has a habit of washing over the listener after a little while.
On a debut album, calling for an artist to develop their sound is paradoxical; they typically don’t have enough to develop. However, Cee has now been a known quantity for almost three years, and from that standpoint, sticking around in the same aesthetic veers closer to stagnation than stamping ownership over a sound.
Guest Appearances Help Central Cee Sequence Can’t Rush Greatness
Thus, while many of the hip-hop albums released today suffer from feature bloat, Can’t Rush Greatness and Central Cee benefit from the select guest appearances if only for a moment of contrast or an “absence makes the heart grow” fonder style principle. You’ve likely already heard “GBP” with 21 Savage, one of the more splashy instances of this, where the two Rap Caviar residents swap references from the US to the UK, each delivering chest-out, braggadocious charm in the process. “Truth In The Lies” delivers an antipole of interplay, instead catching a melodic Lil Durk performance over string-laden somber trap production. Your mileage may vary on Cench’s singing voice, but it’s a solid execution of a familiar prompt.
Skepta also enters the ring for the cut “Ten,” one of the final grime gatekeepers Cench hadn’t already checked off his list. Even placing the name in the tracklist is a win in and of itself, but getting the exceptional performance from the BBK head that he does is just icing on the cake, a moment where again it seems Skepta raises his level when he appears next to another British rapper (see “Inglorious” or “Cancelled with Slowthai or “Back To Basics” with Headie One”). In the same vein, Dave and Central Cee link up again on “CRG,” reuniting after their Split Decision EP, and the results are just as impressive if not a bit more downtempo. Omoregie steals the spotlight with trademark tongue-in-cheek humor: “I can’t ask no one for a teaspoon of sugar, it’s tough, got no neighbors.”
Plenty Of Room For Growth Yet Plenty More Potential
None of this is to say that what Central Cee delivers with Can’t Rush Greatness is all bad. For one, many of the solo cuts reveal that his pen is the sharpest it’s ever been in his young career. In the opener, “No Introduction,” he proves he can spar in complex rhyme schemes with the best of them: “I wanna live a simplistic life, but that’s unrealistic, right? / I miss the times, two-man step, take one for the team and assist my guy / God ain’t give me the gift to write, won’t lie, I been on a consistent grind.”
Finally, song structure, and songwriting in general, is often something that becomes stronger as a career in hip-hop goes on—some grace should go Cench’s way for not cracking that code immediately. And to be clear, there are a host of moments where Central Cee and Can’t Rush Greatness step out of the box to great effect. “5 Star” and “Now We’re Strangers” deliver on an emotional level, uncorking career hardships and romantic loss, respectively.
In a vacuum, what Cench hits on in his debut shouldn’t shake him from the star power he amassed in his prolonged “rookie year,” and given how he leverages that spotlight with this record, it’s a trade anyone would take 100 times out of 100. You can catch Can’t Rush Greatness and all the Central Cee backlog wherever you stream your music.
Elsewhere in the UK, FKA Twigs – Eusexua sees the polymath deliver another outstanding left turn.
